Bladed forelimbs flashed in the bright sunlight. The pair of Scyther battled relentlessly, oblivious to the rest of the clan watching patiently at the sidelines. This was a battle for leadership of the entire group, and the loser would be driven off, or even killed, by the victor.
The female Scyther struck at the male's vulnerable joints, but her much faster opponent easily countered the blows. She was beginning to worry, but her defensive moves were still strong. Her opponent, Blade, had been her friend for as long as she could remember, and now she had to fight him. She hadn't meant to have to fight this particular male, but they had both been ecstatic at the chance of being the clan's next leader.
The old leader had disappeared long ago, and the clan had been in turmoil since then, but now they finally had a chance to set it right at the yearly Battle Ceremony. The Battle Ceremony was a test to ensure that only the strongest and most able Scyther were granted leadership, and she and Blade had easily beaten the other challengers to become the last two competing.
Blade struck, his blurred scythe breaking through her defenses and contacting her shoulder. She winced as she felt the exoskeleton split slightly under the razor sharp blade of her friend. She lashed out and managed to surprise her opponent enough to strike his leg.
Blade gasped, his leg collapsing, but did not lose his balance. The female Scyther backed off for a second, giving her friend a chance to regain himself; he deserved that much at least. He looked at her, plainly wondering why she would give up an easy shot at leadership, and steadied himself on one leg.
They resumed the battle. The female fought with a fury rivaling that of a Gyarados, but her opponent blocked all the blows as calmly as an Alakazam. There was to be no mercy now, the fight had already gone on too long. Suddenly, she felt the flat edge of her opponent's blade crack against the side of her head. She fell to the ground, trying to gather her scattered wits, but it was already over. Blade had won.
She looked fearfully up at her tired friend, gasping for breath after the final blow. He looked back at her, realization finally dawning in his eyes.
"You can go as soon as you regain your strength, Slice," he said desolately, avoiding her gaze.
Slice nodded and got to her feet, watching as the new leader led the clan off over the hill. She sighed, not looking forward to the long and lonely years of traveling that was surely ahead of her, and wandered into the foliage.
Suddenly, a flash of cerulean in the leaves caught her attention. She stood at a fighting stance, ready to battle anything that came out of the bushes, though she was clearly in no state to win. She stood, tense and ready, as the creature emerged from cover.
Aquamarine cautiously stepped forward; although she was certain that the Scyther before her was in no state to fight. Every step weighed on her tired body, and she suddenly realized that she wasn't in good shape either. She almost laughed despite the looming danger.
The Scyther studied her with cold, calculating precision, just as she did the same to the other Pokemon. It was female, and looked to have just been in a major battle, probably the fight for leadership if the Scyther's apparent solitary vestige was any indication. Aquamarine hissed a warning if any others were present, just in case.
The Scyther returned the hiss, but looked suddenly surprised when Aquamarine's lame leg finally gave out. The blue Grovyle fell to the ground in a bloody heap, growling in agitation.
"What happened to you?" asked the Scyther worriedly.
"Fight...banished..." muttered Aquamarine, trying to rise but failing miserably.
The bug Pokemon sighed.
"Looks like we're in the same boat. I'm Slice, who are you?"
"My name is Aquamarine," murmured the Grovyle.
"Good, I'll go to find some herbs that will help both our wounds. You stay here until I get back."
"Like I'm going anywhere..." sighed Aquamarine bitterly.
The Scyther disappeared into the undergrowth, and Aquamarine was left to brood over her recent defeat. She was no pushover; she would come back and get her revenge on that bastard and his lackeys sooner than later.
The gash in her leg throbbed with a pulsing pain, and she grit her teeth to keep from crying out. She wondered why a Scyther, of all Pokemon, would venture to help her. Scyther hated all of Grovyle kind, and both species never missed a chance to show it. This Scyther seemed different, more open to change; Aquamarine decided that she would trust this particular Pokemon for the time being.
When Aquamarine woke, a thick green salve had already been spread over the open gashes, and the pain was receding with each passing moment. She gazed upward, and saw that the Scyther, Slice, was resting at the edge of the small clearing they were in, watching for danger.
The Grovyle tried to rise again, and Slice glanced over at the noise. The bug sighed, and motioned for Aquamarine to lie back down.
"You shouldn't try to rise, not until that nasty wound begins to heal."
"Yes, but you should rest as well."
"I'm a lot sturdier than I might seem. I can last the night." laughed Slice, amused at the Grovyle's concern.
"I'm also a lot more resilient than I seem. The wound will almost be healed by now; with the salve on it."
The Scyther gave Aquamarine a sidelong glance, but said nothing. The blue Grovyle struggled upright, knowing what she said was true. Slice looked almost surprised when she saw the plant Pokemon was beside her.
"It seems that what you say is true, friend."
Aquamarine was taken aback. No member of the clan had ever called her friend before, and now a complete stranger had. She puzzled over it.
"Tell me how you came to be here, Aquamarine."
The Grovyle sighed and told of all her life, beginning with as far back as she could remember to the terrible fight she had recently endured. She shuddered at some of the tale, reluctant to return to the memories, but too caught up in the story to keep them out. She was glad to finally have someone to tell her history to. When she had finished, Slice nodded solemnly and began her tale.
The Scyther had a normal life for one of her kind; constant battling, a few good friends, and the dream of becoming the clan leader someday. She had always had her greatest adventures with her best friend, Blade.
When the chance to become clan leader had appeared, she took the chance. Slice told of how surprised she was to find that all challengers but Blade had been beaten, and that she had to fight him. Aquamarine listened raptly as the fight was retold in detail, and tried to imagine how hard it would be to fight someone you had known and loved all your life. She couldn't.
The tale finished, and both friends stared into the now brightening light of morning. Aquamarine's wounds no longer constantly pained her, though they were still quite tender, and Slice announced herself ready for travel. Aquamarine also felt that she was well enough to take her leave, and she walked over to say goodbye to the Scyther.
"Thank you, Slice, for helping me. I'm afraid the time has come to go our separate ways, but it was nice to have a friend for at least a short while."
The bug Pokemon gave her that disbelieving sidelong glance once more, and smiled.
"You don't think you're going to travel alone with that wound still healing, do you?"
Aquamarine stared blankly, then suddenly understood.
"You have a point. It would probably be better if we stuck together. It would at the very least be less boring."
"Yes, which direction do you want to go?"
"South, I think. To the Great Storm."
Dark stared at the Alpha with nothing short of malice. That ungainly fool had gathered the entire clan, at feeding time, no less, just to announce that he had banished yet another member of the clan. The impressive male Grovyle growled his displeasure, but the others around him just ignored it.
He was the clan's seer, but he would have been banished long ago had he not held that title. He made his hatred of Image clear to all, even to the Alpha himself. Dark barely listened to what the Alpha had to say, until a name pierced his wandering thoughts.
"The blue menace, Aquamarine... has been driven from the clan. I myself made sure that she has left for good, and will not return. Now, we can all be safe from her malicious ways!" Image announced with obvious pleasure.
'Aquamarine?' thought Dark 'why was she banished? I have never known her to have done anything wrong!' He voiced his question aloud.
"What has the blue one done that has warranted such a vicious removal?"
Image looked Dark's way, an unmistakably malevolent look on his face. He started to snarl, but managed to regain his composure before his anger got out of hand. If anyone saw, they did not voice their observation.
"Well, seer," he said, his sarcastic tone plain to all, "she had injured my son in a particularly nasty battle."
"But battles are common, why was this different?"
"I will no longer allow battling! It is wrong for a creature so much more intelligent, and stronger, than other species. Battling will result in serious punishment by my guards from now on!" Image called out to the entire clan.
There was a murmur of unrest; battling helped strengthen the clan and weed out the weaker members. To abolish battling meant weakening the entire population.
'So this is what he's planning!' thought Dark quickly, 'He wants to rule over the clan with no rivals!'
Dark mulled in the turbulence of the clan, wondering what he could do. He didn't know of anything he could do, but suddenly, an intriguing thought entered his head.
Aquamarine! He would seek out the rightful Alpha and get her to challenge Image for leadership. Image would have no choice but to fight! Dark had no present idea where the blue female would be, though, so he just told himself that he would follow his instincts. Hopefully, fate would lead him on the right trail.
When the clan gone to the trees to sleep for the night, Dark quietly climbed down to the ground and slipped into the darkness. He headed south, for he knew deep down that the elusive blue female would head in that direction. He only hoped that she was still alive...